Indonesia has a lot of unique traditions. One of the unique Indonesian traditions that you should know is Snap Mor from Biak, Papua. Here are things you need to know about this fish-catching tradition from the Biak:
Getting to Know the Snap Mor Tradition
Snap Mor is a tradition from the Biak people living in Biak Numfor, Papua. The Snap Mor tradition is a local tradition of catching fish on the beach using nets, spears, or arrows. In this activity, the Biak community will gather and catch fish together.
Snap Mor comes from the Biak language, Snap, and Mor. In the Biak language, the word Snap means a small stone or coral in a river or canal. At the same time, the word Mor means a heap of marine products or fish. Thus, Snap Mor implies an activity of catching fish together at low tide.
The Biak people have carried out this tradition for a generation. In practice, the people of Biak hold this Snap Mor tradition during the low tide season, which is from March to August.
However, the people of Biak can also do the Snap Mor tradition in months other than March to August. However, in other months, they can only do Snap Mor at night when the tide is low.
Ritual Before Holding Snap Mor in the Past
Historically, in the past, there was a traditional activity or ritual that the Biak people did before starting the Snap Mor. This ritual is called the Pele Jaring ritual. In this Pele Jaring ritual, village elders perform a ceremony to ask for safety and abundant fish yields.
During the Pele Jaring ritual, the ritual leader will burn coconut leaves and install gas lamps to illuminate the location of the activity. The community will then gather and form a circle, while the Pele Jaring ritual leader will pray for the protection and smoothness of the Snap Mor.
After that, this ritual continues with the giving of offerings or kakes. The offerings they give are areca nuts and cigarettes, which they put on a leaf. Kakes or the ready offerings will then drift into the sea.
After giving the offerings, the people of Biak will spread nets whose edges they have tied with young coconut leaves. After this ritual is complete, no people can catch fish until Snap Mor begins.
Ritual Before Holding Snap Mor Today
Unlike the rituals that the Biak people performed in the past, the Biak people no longer perform the Pele Jaring ritual. To start Snap Mor activities, the people of Biak will pray together at the church to ask for protection and a smooth-running show of the Snap Mor.
After the prayer at the church, Biak residents will not engage in fishing activities for two to three weeks. They do this so that the fish are not afraid to go to the coast so that fish will be abundant during the Snap Mor event.
Tools for Snap Mor
In the Snap Mor tradition, there are several tools that the Biak people use to hunt fish, like nets, spears, and arrows. The people of Biak use nets measuring two inches long and about 500 meters long.
Another tool is a spear. Spears, or what people often call Klawai, are the spokes of a bicycle wheel with three or four spears which they then tie on a half-inch bamboo or iron pipe. The other tool choices for Snap Mor are the Papuan traditional bow and arrow.
Snap Mor Activities
The Biak community still practices the tradition of Snap Mor. The local government also participates in preserving this tradition by holding an annual event, the Munara Wampas Cultural Festival. This festival has a series of traditional events, including the Snap Mor. This festival is held in July every year.
